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Massanutten: the aftermath

spoke80

spoke80

Turbo Monkey
Nov 12, 2001
1,494
0
dhbuilder said:
it figures.
just about the time i'm starting to consider having a yearly fall race up here.

i read this thread and remember why i said to myself, "never again" after the last one.
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Whoo nelly, never say never there Bronco. Racing always brings out the kooks but that's what happens to some folks when egos and results are on the line. I don't get it when folks get so amped up and down right mean during local races. Its not the world cup, your "sponsors" don't care, and its supposed to be fun.
 
FCLinder

FCLinder

Turbo Monkey
Mar 6, 2002
4,402
0
Greenville, South Carolina
I will have to say I ran up on a lot of riders myself this past weekend but just stopped and let them go and when it was clear I started back down the hill. I was that guy that got pissed back in the day when a slower rider would not get out of the way, not now. One thing I learned when I was off the bike is its not worth the stress. It ended up taken the fun away form the game!!! I just want to have fun on my bike and be around those that are having the same kind of fun too.
 
dhbuilder

dhbuilder

jingoistic xenophobe
Aug 10, 2005
3,040
0
spoke80 said:
Whoo nelly, never say never there Bronco. Racing always brings out the kooks but that's what happens to some folks when egos and results are on the line. I don't get it when folks get so amped up and down right mean during local races. Its not the world cup, your "sponsors" don't care, and its supposed to be fun.
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yeah, you're correct.
but a good idea was brought up here about separate practice sessions.
i'll remember that.
maybe i'll make sure they have twice the practice time on the same course.
(the non-pros that is.)
 
Greyhound

Greyhound

Trail Rat
Jul 8, 2002
5,065
365
Alamance County, NC
manimal said:
example: Joe Haley, fast, all around rider that doesn't hesitate to help out other riders and isn't a dick on his practice runs. :thumb:
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Good on ya for the shout out to Joe. More people need to know about the level of professionalism and courtesy he shows--no matter if he's just sessioning dirt jumps or blitzing a DH course. He's a fantastic example to follow.
 
motomike

motomike

Turbo Monkey
Jan 19, 2005
4,584
0
North Carolina
DVNT said:
did haley come unglued in the rock garden on his race run?

he flew through the top one as fast as anyone, i was surprised to see he wasn't higher up in results.
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He broke his derailleur hanger in practice and didn't have a replacement, so he rigged it up ss style....on a 7" frame! Somehow I think it stayed on but he said he couldn't really lay down the power on the fire roads. 3:40 is a solid time given what he had to work with. :clapping:
 
DVNT

DVNT

Turbo Monkey
Jul 16, 2004
1,844
0
hahaha, funny.
i noticed he was running single speed.
I thought he did that on purpose showing some bmx love.
i got a clip of him blazing the other line through the top rock garden i'll post it tonight, it made everyone think twice about which line was faster.
 
Cant Climb

Cant Climb

Turbo Monkey
May 9, 2004
2,683
10
manimal said:
i don't mind taking the problem to the woods if it means that he'd understand the impact he has on newcomers to the sport. what if that had been my son on the trail? i'm sure if it had been him i'd be having a big conversation with my boss right now.
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what if your son was sitting just around a blind corner and here comes 210 pound Marv with a full head of steam....?........yeah, he's gonna be pissed.....he's pissed because he could have just crushed a small child and messed himself up at the same time......

never sit in the middle of the trail not moving EVER....you're putting people and bikes in peril.....emotions and trestoterone and going to run high out there, its part of the sport...
 
bizutch

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,929
24
Over your shoulder whispering
Cant Climb said:
....he's pissed because he could have just crushed a small child and messed himself up at the same time......

never sit in the middle of the trail not moving EVER....you're putting people and bikes in peril.....emotions and trestoterone and going to run high out there, its part of the sport...
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you off your meds or something?
 
profro

profro

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2002
5,617
314
Walden Ridge
Joe told me he crashed during his race run in addition to the chain issues.

I didn't have too many run-ins with beginners, but one kid in particular would just stop in the middle of the trail. He did it to me twice on the track and even caused me to crash once. I understand going slow, but just stopping the middle of the trail really has no excuse. If you need to stop, for whatever reason, just pull off the trail. I tried to tell the kid that in the lift line, but he took it offensively and complained that some other kid was stopping in front of him. I said "if it pissed you off, then why are you doing the same thing to other riders?". That was the BIGGEST difference I noticed when moving up to semi-pro. Only ams think they have the right to just stop in the middle of the track. But for the most part its a small issue.
 
manimal

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
Cant Climb said:
...not sure what you mean...?
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ummm, you're comparing apples to oranges. if my son was on the trail and treated like that it would be because he was either going slow or crashed....something ALL racers are subject to coming upon during practice. everyone knows and accepts the fact that, if they stop on the course, they run the risk of being hit. the point i'm making is that in known bottleneck areas, where you can see the crowd well before you get there, there is no reason to be a dick about it when you have to slow down. i have a novel idea, something i observed from several fast guys, much faster than the dude i dealt with; if you run up on some am's having trouble with a certain spot and you have to slow down or stop...give 'em some pointers on how to clean the section.
my point in using my son on the course as an analogy is that, in a couple of years, he'll be ready for that course but he'll probably be slow compared to the riders twice his size. is this dick going to yell at him to0 for being a 9-10 yr old trying to get better at a sport he loves just because he happens to slow down his highness?
my son accidentaly cut off some 30-something dude at the skatepark last year and the dude yelled at him and told him to leave. my son came to me crying and not wanting to ride anymore (he was 6). needless to say, i had a few words w/ that prick as well. there is no room in this sport for ego's, especially when they directly affect the younger generation of riders. so whether it's the skatepark or the trail; being an expert or above level rider does not grant you the right to trample on those who may not be as skilled as you. (i'm using "you" in the instance to address anyone in this category, not you specifically cant climb)
 
J

JeffD

Monkey
Mar 23, 2002
990
0
Macon, GA
Unrelated to the current exchange but when a rider does go down and is making a sincere effort to gte up but is either hurt and/or tangled in his bike, I'll stop a few feet up the trail to yell at others to stop and/or take the hit for the guy if somebody doesn't stop. Some of the misunderstandings may have stemmed from situations like this and in which case, a little communication on both sides go a long way towards easing hard feelings.
 
Cant Climb

Cant Climb

Turbo Monkey
May 9, 2004
2,683
10
manimal said:
ummm, you're comparing apples to oranges. if my son was on the trail and treated like that it would be because he was either going slow or crashed....something ALL racers are subject to coming upon during practice. everyone knows and accepts the fact that, if they stop on the course, they run the risk of being hit. the point i'm making is that in known bottleneck areas, where you can see the crowd well before you get there, there is no reason to be a dick about it when you have to slow down. i have a novel idea, something i observed from several fast guys, much faster than the dude i dealt with; if you run up on some am's having trouble with a certain spot and you have to slow down or stop...give 'em some pointers on how to clean the section.
my point in using my son on the course as an analogy is that, in a couple of years, he'll be ready for that course but he'll probably be slow compared to the riders twice his size. is this dick going to yell at him to0 for being a 9-10 yr old trying to get better at a sport he loves just because he happens to slow down his highness?
my son accidentaly cut off some 30-something dude at the skatepark last year and the dude yelled at him and told him to leave. my son came to me crying and not wanting to ride anymore (he was 6). needless to say, i had a few words w/ that prick as well. there is no room in this sport for ego's, especially when they directly affect the younger generation of riders. so whether it's the skatepark or the trail; being an expert or above level rider does not grant you the right to trample on those who may not be as skilled as you. (i'm using "you" in the instance to address anyone in this category, not you specifically cant climb)
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i am refering to only riders standing in the middle of the course.......that's is always likely to flare tempers weather the person blocking is doing it involuntarily or just has his head up his ass.....tempers flare out there, you made too much of the whole thing IMO....

.....in fairness, sounds like you're a little hot headed yourself.....
 
manimal

manimal

Ociffer Tackleberry
Feb 27, 2002
7,212
17
Blindly running into cactus
oh yes, i'm very hot headed toward certain people although nearly all who know me on this board have never witnessed that side of me. i've noticed that my fuse has gotten much shorter over the last 4 years when dealing with bad attitudes, probably because of my line of work. you know when people see someone doing something rude or selfish and everyone whispers, "someone should say something to that jerk"....well, i'm that guy that'll say something. i'm sure i may have overreacted but i hope that this little spat will someday make him realize that maybe being an elitist, semi-balding prick, really isn't as cool as it seems.
 
bizutch

bizutch

Delicate CUSTOM flower
Dec 11, 2001
15,929
24
Over your shoulder whispering
I don't get it. I'm the most ill tempered person on here and not once during practice have I ever gotten mad that someone was standing in the trail, pushing their bike into the trail as I'm flying by...or a spectator walking across it (except during my race run maybe). It just doesn't bother me that other riders are practicing or how they go about it. Even riders pushing back up the trail while I'm flying down.

It's all part of what we do. Maybe if you're pointing out the flaws of others in the middle of a run or telling them proper etiquette, you're not riding for the right reasons.
 
BKQuill

BKQuill

Turbo Monkey
Dec 19, 2004
1,016
0
Rangers Lead the Way
bizutch said:
I don't get it. I'm the most ill tempered person on here and not once during practice have I ever gotten mad that someone was standing in the trail, pushing their bike into the trail as I'm flying by...or a spectator walking across it (except during my race run maybe). It just doesn't bother me that other riders are practicing or how they go about it. Even riders pushing back up the trail while I'm flying down.

It's all part of what we do. Maybe if you're pointing out the flaws of others in the middle of a run or telling them proper etiquette, you're not riding for the right reasons.
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Maybe your not as big of an A-hole as previously thought!;) :thumb:
 
S

SpasticJack

Monkey
Feb 25, 2002
344
0
Lets see what everyone thinks of this:

I was the last rider in 30-39 Ex and had a pretty crappy race run. Nothing dramatic, just not hitting it like I had in practice. Now that being said, halfway down the course I heard "Rider Back". I pulled off and let the rider (not in my class) by. As it turns out, the officials in their infinite wisdom turned Tim Price loose on me just 30 seconds after I took off instead of the ~minute that everyone else had. Props to Tim for putting up a winning time with a front flat for almost the entire course.

Etiquitte says you get out of the way if you get caught but usually thats within your class. Being on the bubble between classes presents a different situation. I certainly could have put up a better time and been somewhat more competitive in my own class had I not stopped to let him by but then he gets impeded by a slower rider. I didn't really care about the outcome since I wasn't expecting to win but it just seems to be a sucky situation any way yoiu slice it.

Thoughts?

I know, I know the easy answer is to get faster.
 
Taz

Taz

Monkey
Sep 22, 2001
404
0
Granite, lots of granite
Yeah there should have been a "ghost" rider between you and Price.

I had that happen to me at Snowshoe where a guy was in front of me from another class that I knew I would catch. They sent down a ghost rider so that I would not run into him on the course.
 
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